DeSantis Unveils Plans for 'Deportation Depot'

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility dubbed "Deportation Depot" at a state prison in north Florida, as a federal judge decides the fate of the state's holding center for immigrants at an isolated airstrip in the Florida Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz." DeSantis announced Thursday that the new facility is to be housed at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles west of downtown Jacksonville. The AP reports that state officials expect it to hold 1,300 immigration detention beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000.

After opening the Everglades facility last month, DeSantis justified building the second detention center by saying President Trump's administration needs the additional capacity to hold and deport more immigrants. "There is a demand for this," DeSantis said. "I'm confident that it will be filled." Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has called Florida's partnership a model for other state-run holding facilities.

DeSantis touted the relative ease and economy of setting up the north facility at a pre-existing prison, estimating the build-out cost to be $6 million. That's compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars the state has committed to construct the vast network of tents and trailers at the south facility in the rugged and remote Florida swamp. "This part of the facility is not being used right now for the state prisoners. It just gives us an ability to go in, stand it up quickly, stand it up cheaply," DeSantis said of the state prison, calling the site "ready-made."

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It could take two to three weeks to get the facility operational, according to Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the agency in charge of building the immigration facilities. "A building that's been dormant now for a couple of years is going to have some unforeseen challenges," Guthrie said when estimating the construction timeline. Among the renovations needed: air conditioning, which is not required under Florida's standards for its prisons, despite the state's sweltering climate. Staffing at the site will be handled by the Florida National Guard and state contractors "as needed," DeSantis said.